The Guang Clan.
You must understand nephew, that although we have held the title of great power the least amount of time out of the four, our history is a long and storied one.
The clan which is now known as the Guang began around seven thousand years ago but we are older than that, before we were known as the Guang we had another name, the Gui. We were travelling priests, mystics and exorcists. Our main work was in giving both the living and the dead the peace they so deserved, allowing them their final rest.
Our bloodline, vessel of the ghost, was particurlly suited for such, allowing us to channel the deceased for questioning and to channel them though our bodies and purify their souls so they may continue on their journey.
And we have done it for thousands of years before we ever became the Guang, how the translation happened is unclear to us, the records we have access to are spotty at best and the collective dos not posse this knowledge but at some point, seven thousand years ago our bloodline changed, Mutated.
We suspect an active hand -although we aren't sure- as in a generation or two all of the Gui became the Guang and dispersed as we were at the time, an evolved bloodline dominating its predecessor in the new generation is an unlikely explanation, although it is possible.
But I digress, we became the Guang, not in name, not yet but in our blood and we have found our traditional role ill-suited for us. Where once before we could channel ghosts into our bodies, now we couldn't even speak with them and with this change our purpose and means of acquiring income was gone.
The clan fell into ruin, our coffers emptying out, our cultivators stalled from lack of resources.
It was a bad time for us. That all changed a generation or two later, when the old guard began to die in such numbers that the weight of our collective became sufficient to breach the vail and the truth of our new bloodline was revealed.
Instead of just channeling any ghost, we now could only channel those which were related to us by blood and which carried our bloodline. But more, not only channeling them but allowing the dead to act upon the world, to reach out and effect change.
Our ascent was a slow one, the strength of our bloodline came in the work of generations, each clan member working tirelessly to lay another stone on the path, so that the next might go higher. The knowledge forever stored in the collective accessible for all and in their death, they supplied their soul to help and guide the new generation.
This is who we were, this is who we are. You may or may not be the last Guang but you aren't not alone, for no Guang ever is.
There were five branches of our line (five that were recognized as such).
The Gui- they were not truly the Gui of old, they have merely retained more of our original bloodline allowing them to bond and converse with ghosts outside of our line should they mange to convince them. They adopted the name in respect for our ancestors.
The Liu- their bloodline expressed itself toward mantling the ancestors, allowing them to ride along in their body and soul and more directly offer aid although the ancestors abilities to influence the world indirectly through them was quite limited.
The Xiànjǐng- instead of allowing them to channel our ancestors this mutation of our bloodline allowed the Xiànjǐng to trap the souls of our enemies within themselves and with the help of the ancestors grind them down. This line was kept hidden, their abilities-stricken from all written records and a shadow cast over any memory of it. For with the help of the ancestors even the old monsters that roam the lands could be brought low, the third heavenly demon was slayed using this method for no matter how many corpses he stacks and soul consumed it could never be stronger than the endless numbers of the collective.
The Zǒu- this branch expression of the bloodline was inverted, instead of channeling the ancestors, they could be channeled by the ancestors, passing into the realm of dead. Excellent for spy works as they could move unseen and without suspicion.
The Sǐ chǎn- this branch is not talked about often; it brings shame to us all. In truth its not even a branch of the bloodline but such is the easiest description. Rarely, when a baby dies in the womb or during the birth, the soul of one of the ancestors is reincarnated into it. For a long time, it was believed that the stronger soul pushed away the soul of the new born. Thankfully this was proven to not be the case but many still held to the superstition. The lose of a child is never easy. The reincarnated ancestors were for all intents and purposes alive expect for one thing, they could give birth or sire a child all dying in during their pregnancy and the soul of an ancestor reincarnating within.
